NBA Playoffs 2019: Predictions for Top Seeds and Final Postseason Standings

The 16-team field for the 2019 NBA playoffs is nearly set.

But don't let that fool you into thinking the 2018-19 campaign's stretch run will be devoid of drama.

There's plenty of postseason posturing to be done, as teams tussle for seeds, home-court advantage, ideal matchups and, in one case, entry into basketball's other Big Dance.

Based on current production and the remaining schedule, let's project how the playoff seeding could shape up by season's end.

2019 NBA Playoffs Standings Projection

Eastern Conference

1. y-Milwaukee Bucks

2. x-Toronto Raptors

3. x-Philadelphia 76ers

4. x-Boston Celtics

5. x-Indiana Pacers

6. Detroit Pistons

7. Brooklyn Nets

8. Charlotte Hornets

Western Conference

1. x-Golden State Warriors

2. x-Denver Nuggets

3. x-Houston Rockets

4. x-Portland Trail Blazers

5. x-Los Angeles Clippers

6. x-Utah Jazz

7. Oklahoma City Thunder

8. San Antonio Spurs

*x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division

The East seeding doesn't start to get interesting until No. 4, where the Pacers and Celtics are separated by just one game.

While Indiana holds the upper hand now, that lead is slipping as it struggles to cover the absence of its only All-Star, Victor Oladipo. Look for the Celtics' talent advantage to be the difference in that race.

The latter half of that playoff bracket is cluttered. The sixth-seeded Pistons are just 2.5 games up on the 10th-seeded Hornets, who have the conference's longest winning streak at four games and counting.

As per usual, Kemba Walker has been at the center of Charlotte's uptick. The All-Star starter has scored at least 31 points in three of the four wins while averaging 9.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds over this stretch.

"You know the ball can be in Kemba's hands and good things are going to happen," Hornets coach James Borrego told reporters. "... He's the All-Star, the captain of our team, he brings the 'it' factor most of the time."

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Walker gives the Hornets a dimension the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic—the two clubs standing between Charlotte and the eighth seed—don't have. He's the primary reason for this prediction, but it doesn't hurt that youngsters such as Miles Bridges and Dwayne Bacon are elevating their play at the perfect time.

The race for No. 6 could come down to the finish line for the Pistons and Nets, but we like the former's chances since the latter faces the league's most difficult schedule down the stretch.

Out West, the Warriors "survive" the most turbulent season of coach Steve Kerr's tenure as only they can—by claiming the conference's No. 1 seed. That's mostly due to their superior roster, but it also reflects the much softer schedule it will face than Denver.

While the Blazers, winners of five straight, are doing everything they can to claim the third seed for the second consecutive season, our crystal ball has them falling just short.

Why? Because the Rockets have James Harden, and the Blazers don't. The MVP front-runner's numbers have been silly all season, and he's giving no indication of slowing down. He's cleared the 40-point mark five different times since the All-Star break, erupting for at least 57 in three of them.

"I don't know how you get any better," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters after Harden dropped 61 to stop a San Antonio team that had won nine of its previous 10. "Whoever was in the gym tonight probably [saw] something they have never seen before. There's no way. That was one of the best performances—the magnitude of the game, we needed it—just everything."

The Clippers' improbably strong season—remember, they traded away then-top scorer Tobias Harris at the deadline—just keeps rolling. They've gone 11-2 with a plus-5.8 net rating in the month of March.

They need to keep the gas pedal floored, though, since the Jazz are nearly as hot (10-4 with an NBA-best plus-11.7 net rating in March). Logic says Utah should probably be the pick at No. 5, but L.A. has been defying it all season, so why stop now?

In our last battle—for the West's seventh spot—the Spurs have more momentum and an easier remaining schedule. What they don't have, though, is a duo as dynamic as Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

For as choppy as OKC has been since the All-Star break (7-11, 22nd in net rating) it still has superior star power, and that typically matters more than anything in this league.